116 OYOIiOFEDlA OF LIVE STOCK AND COMPLETE STOCb. DOCTOK. 



the stallion. JVenty-four of the teeth in both horses and mares are sit- 

 uated in the upper part of the mouth, that is back of the tushes, or 

 above the lips. These are the true teeth or grinders {inolars). They 

 are divided into six double pairs, counting from below upwards. Those 

 situated next the nippers of a mare, or the tushes of ahorse, and in all 

 the four rows, are called, first ; those next, second, and so on until the 

 last doul)lo pair arc reached, which are called back teeth. There are also 

 sometimes in young horses imperfect teeth, just before the grinders, ig- 

 norantly denominated wolf-teeth, and are supposed to cause blindness. 

 They sometimes do produce irritation of the eyes, from inflamation by 

 sympathy, and should be removed with the forceps. 



In the lower portion of the mouth, or that portion surrounded by the 

 lips, there are twelve teeth, six in the upper jaw and six in the lower j:.w. 

 These are the nippers (^incisors). They occupy the entrance to the 

 mouth, and each six are in the form of an arch. These teeth are divided 

 into three pairs in each jaw. The four central ones, two in each jaw, are 

 called "nipping teeth," or nippers. The two outside teeth in each jaw 

 are "corner teeth," and those between the corner teeth and the nippers 

 are called middle teeth. It is the attrition of the upper surface of these 

 teeth on each other in eating that causes wear, and thus enables us to 

 judge with tolerable accuracy of the age of the horse, — usually to a cer- 

 tainty up to eight or nine years ; quite closely up to fourteen or fifteen 

 years, and approximately up to the age of twenty-five or thirty years - 

 The nippers (incisors) of the upper jaw are broader and thicker than 

 those of the lower jaw. 



The tushes (canines) are placed singly, one in each side of the upper 

 and lower jaws, between the corner teeth and the grinders, but nearer the 

 corner teeth of the upper than of the lower jaw, so that they never come 

 in contact with each other. The age at which a horse attains the full 

 number of teeth is from four-and-a-half to five years. He is then, in 

 horseman's phrase, said to have a "full mouth." From this time onward 

 the more a permanent incisor loses in length by wear, the more it loses 

 in width, and the nearer the worn surface approaches the root, 

 becoming narrower and thicker in appearance. Another fact is Avorth 

 remembering; as the horse advances in age the gums recede, so that a 

 smaller portion of the teeth is covered. Hence the reason that the teeth 

 become narrower and thicker with age. It is from being uncovered ; and 

 hence again, aged teeth are longer in their visible portions than those of 

 younger horses. 



V. AUowances to be Made. 



Large horses have larger teeth than small ones. The rules given are 

 for horses of medium size. Some horses have harder bones than others, 



